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An away trip to Korat had not really appealed to me before, just one look at the stadium had me thinking “Nope!”, but over a Leo fueled conversation in the Sandpit (aren’t they all?) last weekend, Dom had sold me on the idea of making the trip as this is one of our only away games that falls on a Saturday night thus allowing enough time to travel up for the weekend. I traveled up by bus on Friday, the journey taking pretty much exactly four hours for a measly 209 baht.

I traveled to the game with Dom and Derek, Dom had managed to book an accommodating taxi driver by the name of Mr Bandit who was happy to drop us off at the stadium and wait in the car park to pick us up after the match, it turned out he would have to be even more accommodating than we thought….

On arriving at the stadium the Port fans were already gathering, eating and drinking with a large crowd of Korat fans who were also laying on free food and refreshments for the traveling Port faithful. A friendly sing-off was taking place between the two sets of fans, this had been one of the friendliest welcomes I’d experienced since Sukhothai or Chonburi. I couldn’t help noticing one of the fans had bought a 42” TV to the game, who brings their own TV to the game and why??? I would get an answer to that later!

Team News

Sergio’s impromptu game of dodgeball had not endeared him to the referee last week, so with him suspended, Jadet opted to play Sumanya behind Boskovic with Pakorn and Bordin on the wings. Kevin was still injured so Adisorn would continue as a makeshift left-back and it seemed maybe David wasn’t quite ready after all as he didn’t make the matchday squad.

The Match

I took my spot in the bleachers (what on earth are ‘bleachers’? – Americanophobe Ed), of all the running-track stadiums I’ve visited so far, this one was slightly more bearable. While away fans were still too far from the pitch, the home support was impressive, and with the stadium around half to 60% full, there was actually something of an atmosphere on all four sides of the pitch.

The opening exchanges were pretty cagey with neither team having huge spells of pressure or possession, this pattern would continue through the match. On the ninth minute, a neat pass from Sumanya found Bordin on the wing, he cut in and unleashed a shot which Korat keeper and “Friend of Zone B” Cunningham tipped around the post. The ensuing corner from Sumanya eventually found its way to an unmarked Boskovic at the back post but his shot was easily gathered by Cunningham.

In the 41st minute, Bosko tee’ed up Go but his shot was pretty high and wild. Straight up the other end, Korat had their best chance of the half, Leandro unleashing a dipping volley from 25 yards that deflected off Dolahs back before hitting a post and bouncing awkwardly in front of Watchara.

In first half injury time, we thought Bordin had broken the deadlock after firing a shot over Cunningham that looked to have nestled in the top of the net but had actually gone over it and landed behind the goal.

The ref blew for halftime with the score still locked at 0-0, in the distance we could see lightning, and sure enough the heavens opened at half-time. When the second half kicked off, I was one of the few foolhardy souls who made it out for the start of the second half. What I witnessed for the next few minutes was a total farce with the ball getting stuck at regular intervals and players slipping and sliding all over the place. In a rare move of Thai referee sensibility; he quickly halted proceedings after about 4 minutes of attempted play.

“It was a bit wet”

Upon returning to the concourse I found all the Port fans and many Korat fans had gathered around the earlier mentioned 42” TV, which was also connected to a TRUE box showing the game. While the TV showed ball-boys and staff trying to scrape the pitch of surface water using advertising hoardings, the Port and Korat faithful’s had what I can only describe as a good old “Cockney knees up” as the rain continued to fall. The rain showed no sign of letting up so the singing (and drinking) carried on for another hour, Thai football has a habit of throwing out some wild and random fan experiences and this was definitely in that bracket.

While the rain had stopped and the pitch had been cleared of the worst, it was still very slippy and slidy out there and at times it began to resemble a slapstick scene from a silent movie. From a relatively tame Korat corner, what should have been a routine catch for Watchara was dropped but he was able to gather it again before any of the Korat forwards could pounce.

On the 76th minute, Bordin was impeded near the edge of the box after a mazy run and Pakorn stepped up on the subsequent free-kick, initially it looked as if he had fired it straight at the wall but it smashed a Korat defender in the face, wrong footed Cunningham and nestled in the bottom corner to send the drenched Klong Toey faithful into raptures of joy. This joy was short lived however as from their next attack, we were about to see another red card for Port. While things had been very friendly between the two sets of fans all afternoon, Adisorn tried to take it one step further, holding Korat winger Amadou’s hand as Amadou tried to get free of him. Adisorn was already on a yellow and began marching off before the ref could produce the red card. In Kevin’s absence it’s a shame we don’t have a better back-up option at left-back, Yossawat doesn’t seem to be part of Jadet’s plans and Panpanpong can’t be trusted to actually track back. Adisorn does a solid job in the midfield but he’s clearly not a full-back and makes the team a bit lopsided with only Niti playing as a more adventurous full-back down the right and Adisorn becoming exposed against Scary Foreign Strikers on the left.

Port had the chance to put the Swatcats to bed with only three minutes left, a neat ball over the top had left Arthit beating the offside trap and in acres of space, A Korat defender foolishly slid in the wet surface to stop him and went flying past Arthit and probably landed somewhere near the 100m finish line, however Arthit pussyfooted around a bit too much with his shot, and Cunningham didn’t exactly have to show cat-like reflexes to scoop up his eventual shot.

That missed chance would haunt Port a couple of minutes later, an opportunistic up and under found its way to Korat winger Naruphol, Port substitute Athibordhee now at left back, stuck out a leg, while the initial contact looked to be outside the area, Naruphol applied some real alleycat tactics by hooking his trailing leg around Athibordees in mid-air landing in the box. The ref pointed to the spot and Ivorian striker Henry sent his penalty into the top corner, sliding through a puddle as the Swatcat fans purred with delight. Perhaps the referee had caught wind of the fans’ “Festival of Friendship” taking place today and didn’t want to send one team home unhappy? The final whistle came not long after, for the second week running Port had been pegged back to 1-1 and finished the game with 10 men.

The game kicked off at 5.45pm and finished just shy of 9.00pm, by far the longest match I’ve ever attended, luckily our taxi driver was still waiting. This felt like 2 points dropped, and with Buriram catching fast with games in hand, next months clash between the two could have really high stakes.

Korat was quite a sleepy city, upon meeting Dom and Del after the game, the bars seemed to all shut dead on midnight but we were barely getting started at that time. A 20 minute walk around the city like desperate beer zombies, we finally found a late night restaurant still serving beer and also showing the German Cup Final. One discussion we had was about the awkward situation Arthit and his like find themselves in, all T1 teams (and most T2) use their foreign quota on recruiting “Scary Foreign Strikers”, so as a result, Thai players tend to fill midfield, full-back and goalkeeper positions. Thai strikers lack game time which makes it hard for them to establish themselves. Sadly, misses like the one Arthit made last night will do little to encourage Jadet to give him more game time.

The Sandpit Man Of the Match: Elias Dolah

From my lofty position about a mile from the pitch, it was hard to pick out the nuances of separate player performances, so being 6ft5 was a bonus here for Elias!. I picked him last night because even during the farcical second half where all the other players were falling over and kicking it into puddles, Dolah’s reading of the game remained calm and error free, he made key blocks without sliding in and his distribution choices were correct given the lake around him.

When David got injured at the first game, it instantly raised a worry about the Port defence but what has happened is that Dolah has really stepped up this season and formed a very good partnership with Todsapol.

This is a report you would never wish to write. Yesterday, we came to mourn the fallen five; Thai and foreigner alike, heads bowed, black-bedecked, unified in a singular outpouring of grief for lost members of our footballing family. Whether it is one game or a hundred, we, strangers in a foreign land, have been touched by the warmth and humanity of this wonderful club and its supporters, its most stellar members no longer with us. And, today, the Port family did not let them down.

From the flower-strewn, memento-laden shrine outside the stadium, to the heartfelt, sometimes choked, renderings of our tribal anthems; from the moving, tear-jerking, tribute videos to Madame Pang’s emotional, gut-wrenching speech, lovingly rescued by the crowd when it seemed the occasion had overcome even her. The two minutes silence was impeccably observed, the only sound the muted rustling of the Thai Port flags in the breeze, and then, there was a game to be played. It seemed almost an irrelevance but our sadly departed heroes would have demanded nothing less.

In keeping with the occasion, Mano and some Bangkok Utd officials and players presented bunches of flowers to fan representatives in Zone C before the game. Bangkok Utd was, in many ways, the perfect opponent for this day. Mano Polking, their Brazilian/German manager, had expressed enormous admiration for the club and its fans earlier in the week; one gets the feeling that Mano, the Jurgen Klopp of the Thai League, would love to manage here. They would be respectful but resilient opponents, prompting Port to be at their very best to get anything out of the game. Some of that respect went a little wayward in the final ten minutes but this was a truly fitting, marvelous contest to match the heavy weight of the day.

Port’s only major changes was Adisorn replacing the injured Kevin at left back while Sumanya continued on the right wing, much to the consternation of the Sandpit faithful. The ground was almost full to capacity with many still outside, queuing to get in. The atmosphere was tense and, for a while, strangely subdued, the drums silenced for the first 12 minutes as a mark of respect. After that point, bedlam reigned, as events on the pitch took a dramatic turn.

Port went on the offensive from the off, Bodin found by Go’s exquisite through pass, but his shot on the turn lacked the power to trouble Utd’s Danish-Filipino goal-keeper, Michael Falkesgaard (1) who was to have another inspired afternoon between the sticks. Two minutes later, Nitipong’s arrowed long-distance strike was spectacularly turned over the bar by the keeper. A minute later, Utd’s Salvadorean striker, Nelson Bonilla (11), was put through by Sanrawat (29) to be thwarted first by an onrushing Watchara and then a recovering Dolah.On 11 minutes Dolah was to have a massive impact at the other end, his glancing header from Sumanya’s corner, perfectly placed to elude even Falkesgaard’s outstretched fingers. A minute later the drums opened up and we had a tumultuous, fevered contest on our hands.

Sadly, for Port, the contest was evened almost immediately by, who else, Bonilla, set through, by Sanrawat again, between a static Todsaporn and Adisorn to beat Watchara with a chipped finish. That is 5 goals in 3 games for Bonilla at the Port. The boy is a bit special. A clumsy goal all round for the Port defence; Todsaporn again caught ball-watching and Watchara possibly too eager to come off his line. But, Bonilla is a class finisher and you would bank on him to score in those situations. Honours even.

In the 24th minute Bonilla caught Port napping again from a Sanrawat pass but his lob cleared the onrushing Watchara and, thankfully, the crossbar. A few minutes later Port had their best chance of the half. Nitipong won a challenge on the right wing and, storming forward, found Suarez, unmarked and onside in the middle. He brought the ball down superbly but elected to shoot high rather than low, giving the athletic Falkesgaard the opportunity to bring off another finger-tip save. We were really not to have another chance like that again. Suarez may not have been aware but he had the time to take another touch and a step to pick his spot, perhaps low rather than high. But the moment had gone.

The start of the second half was what one might call ‘cagey’, both sides testing each other out, probing for an opening. They were to be few and far between. After a sliced clearance, Boskovic laid the ball off for Suarez to fire wide with the outside of his boot – the Spanish striker was a few shrimps short of a paella today.

As the game reached its closing stages, Nurul replaced Sumanya (finally) and Bodin gave way for Pakorn and the hope of a free-kick redemption.

Pic by Nig Dammusig

The time of madness began in the 82nd minute. Suarez took a pass from Adisorn, headed into the box, only to be clipped by Wisarut (37). In live time from Zone D, it looked like Suarez had taken a dive but replays clearly show the trip took place, although Suarez’s fall was a tad exaggerated. The referee, possibly thinking he had awarded a foul in error, gave a free kick outside the box when it was clear to anybody in the immediate vicinity, not to mention a few casual passers-by, that it was a yard inside. In the unseemly melee that followed (Thai fans love a good melee), Suarez gently lobbed the ball into the back of Peerapat’s (31) head, who went down as if he had been hit by a sledgehammer, which, at that point, would have been Zone D’s weapon of choice to deal with the insidious, cheating bastard. The inevitable red card was issued to Suarez and from that point what had been a wonderful game of jolly hockey-sticks got rather toxic.

Boskovic started picking fights with anybody in a white (or lime green) shirt, more melees ensued, while, almost as an after-thought, there was actually some football played, including an incredible Schmeichel-like point-blank save by Watchara from Peerapat’s header (which he wouldn’t have been able to attempt had there been a sledge-hammer handy).

The Bangkok Angels, halos rapidly slipping, seemed determined to join in with the red-card fun and after a slalom run of Bonilla’s, leaping over several desperate Port challenges (with no foul given), Utd felt aggrieved enough, after a foul given against them, to mount another final melee, during which any number of players could have been sent off for bodily assault on the hapless referee. In the end, only Sanrawat walked, seemingly for a spot of verbals (video clearly shows him punching the ref in the stomach – Ed).

A minute later, whether for his own safety or sanity, the referee blew the whistle to end what was, the Sandpit agreed, one of the finest games ever seen at Port. Bangkok Utd were forgiven and their players, along with Port’s, given a rousing and much deserved ovation.

It had been a match of the highest class and drama and a fitting end to this most difficult of days.

The Sandpit Man of the Match: Elias Dolah

This is a tight one but as I can’t really have another shared accolade, I will go for the resolute Dolah over the imperious Go. Dolah held it all together at the back during Utd’s spells of control and his goal brought the game to life. His celebration, heading straight to kneel in front of Zone C, was pure class.

Can I also give a special, slightly begrudging mention to Michael Falkesgaard, another brilliant display of goalkeeping – surely, the best in the League.

The first home game of the season is always an event to anticipated by the faithful for the entire off-season. We look forward to familiar faces in familiar surroundings with familiar sights, smells, and sounds. The day of the first match seems to drag on as we wait for the trip to the stadium. Driving the familiar route we reminisce on outings past and concurrently envision what the new season will bring. Arriving at PAT and crossing the bridge we hear the first sounds of this year’s pageant. The rumble builds as I walk through the gate and see and hear the Khlong Toei faithful eating, drinking, and laughing together. An excited calm encompasses me. The time draws near.

On a beautiful early March evening after a searing day, a breeze from the south east cools me as I take my place at the top of Zone A an hour before the match. The stadium is beginning to fill and the sounds of Paradox echo without the confines of the PAT. The tattered flags and signs have been replaced with new ones. The pitch, well, it’s the pitch. As the teams take the field one is taken by the size of Ratchaburi’s foreign contingent. Some “mighty big dudes” there and one, Boli, has already proven he can score. Without Go and Rochela the D will have to stand tall. Dolah and Todsapol will have to be in very good form. And tonight’s captain? Sivakorn, which is a bit of a surprise. Lined up next to him in the midfield is Sumanya, with the rest of the team exactly as one would expect.

Both teams appear relaxed and loose during the warm up and as they head to the dressing room, PAT begins to fill and fill. By the time the teams take the field the stadium is heaving with 7k plus fans awaiting that first kick. Port’s new kits are very nice, perhaps the nicest home kits I’ve seen since I began following in ’10. Ratchaburi appear in what can only be described as puce tops and white shorts.

In contrast to the relaxed warm up the game began with a very tight physical midfield centered contest. Ratchaburi were content to let Port posses a bit into their half before attacking the ball. With Boli and the equally speedy Langil, their hope seemed to rest on playing the long ball counter attack to catch the Port defenders flat-footed, which was not to be as Dolah and Todsapol were glued to the Ratchaburi strike force.

While looking quite lively and creative in the midfield, Port were having a tough time hitting crosses and passes into the box. All attempts were either too long or into the feet of a Ratchaburi defender.

Chances in the first half were few. VAR came into play in the 41st minute when the official reviewed a possible handball against Port. To the relief of the 7,000 plus, VAR did not overturn the decision on the field.

With the first half coming to an end, Port were indeed the better side in a very tight and cagey 45 minutes of football. The feeling for me was; first goal wins it.

The second half began as a continuation of the first with Port controlling possession and very few good opportunities until the second VAR incident that saw Port awarded a penalty shot for a handball in the box. Lingal was incensed and a fracas ensued at midfield with ended with Boli on the ground after allegedly receiving an elbow to the face from Sumanya. Both saw yellow and then Dragan B converted the penalty shot to put Port up 1-0. Down a goal, Ratchaburi were forced to open up their game. Bringing on their Ko….wait for it…rean, Kang Soo Il (no relation to the best of our knowledge) gave them another attacking option and put even more pressure on the Port defense. By the 70th minute, Port were having fun and playing like they were up by 3. Corner after corner and shot after shot, Port were the dominant team. I fully expected that second goal, but it never came. The two best chances being Bosco from point blank and a Nittipong rocket from 20 yards that forced Pairot to make a most acrobatic save.

Ratchaburi’s two chances of the game came on a shot low to the right from Boli that was saved by Worawut and a blast from the left by the Kang that was also saved by Worawut.

Jadet’s three subs were all made quite late and neither Bodin, Pingkong, nor Anthibodee had an impact on the match.

After nail-biting 6 plus minutes of extra time the referee finally blew the whistle and the faithful celebrated a well earned home victory.

Port were good tonight; very good considering how young the season is. The fitness level is better than it was last year, the team appears a bit more disciplined and together, the defense is stout even without Rochela and Go, the midfield keeps its shape, Sivakorn has given two good performances, Worawut looks confident and comfortable between the pipes, Suarez is trying to create, and well, I’m hopeful. What’s lacking? Well, there is that goal-scoring thing. Two games with only a penalty shot to show for it and you could say the finishing is far less than crisp. Maybe, hopefully, if the team keeps playing the way they did against Ratchaburi, it will come.

After a short recap in The Sandpit, I’m walking amongst the fans, happy with the three points gained, and I head over the footbridge to my bike. The sounds of PAT fade and the din of the street rises to meet me and I think about how glad I am that football’s back!

The Sandpit Man of the Match: Elias Dolah

My man of the match is Elias Dolah. It was another gritty ballsy performance from the man who is the best Thai defender in the country at this point. Honorable mentions go to Selanon and Todsapol who were both solid.

With Gama & Victor having left during the close season, talk before the game was of Chiang Rai possibly playing better, less cynical football this year. Sadly The Sandpit can confirm that such hope is sorely misplaced, and the Beetles remain T1’s finest exponents of shithousery. In a game where there was clearly no love lost between the two sets of players following this same fixture last season, the home side’s ugly anti-football came up against Port’s tactical predictability, with a draw the logical outcome.

Since joining Port from T2 side Songkhla at the start of 2017, big Thai-Swede Elias Dolah has become a fixture in Port’s defence, terrifying Thai strikers with his size and no-nonsense tackling. Off the pitch however, Elias is a friendly, laid-back, eloquent character with a lot to say about Port and Thai football in general. The Sandpit met up with him to find out about his beginnings in Swedish football, his first year at the PAT, and what 2018 might hold for him and his team…

Tell us how you got started in football…

I come from a village outside Lund in the south of Sweden and my first team was my village team, Dalby GIF. I played there until I was 15-16 or so, in central midfield. I played defence also, but usually central midfield. Then I moved to Lund and played there for 4 years, in the junior and then the senior team.

I guess your size was less of a big deal in Sweden?

Right, I wasn’t oversized when I was young, I was the same as everyone else, so I played central mid, that’s where I played my best games in the Swedish First Division (the 2nd tier of Swedish football – Ed). But when I came to Thailand they saw my size and wanted me to play as a central defender.

When you were growing up, which players were your heroes & role models? Which team did you support?

I got a Chelsea shirt from my father when I was 6 years old – back then Chelsea weren’t the team they are now so I thought it was a nice team to cheer for. At that time Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was the goalscorer so he was my hero. But the role model for me was my big brother – he was a footballer but he studied law & had to give up football. He’s two years older than me & was the one I always looked up to. Now I don’t really have any players I look up to but Maldini is the defender I’ve always admired, I often watch his Youtube clips, he was so consistent. He kept up that level for so long, until he was 40!

How did the move to Thailand come about?

My father is from Narathiwat in the south of Thailand so I was visiting my relatives and my father said “Maybe you should go & train with a local team”, and he started doing some research and got in touch with Songkhla which was the closest team, and they were in the TPL at the time. So I did some pre-season training with them the season they were in the TPL, and they wanted to sign me, but I still had one year left on my contract with Lund and in Sweden you can’t just break contracts like you can in Thailand! So I went back to Sweden and played one more year, then agreed a 2-year contract with Songkhla to see if Thai football was right for me.

What culture shocks did you experience moving from Swedish to Thai football?

It was a bit of a change! It was the first time I’d moved out from my parents’ house so that was a change too. Swedish football is like most European football – it’s more structured, more organised, more tactical, you have to follow the tactics and if you don’t you will not play. Here it’s more impulsive – if someone feels like going on a run they’ll do it! It’s more free, more end-to-end. It’s something we players have to manage – we can’t just go-go-go all the time because in the end we will lose.

Thai clubs need a whole new way of training, diet, lifestyle. Come in at 9, take it seriously, this is your job. The players’ diet isn’t controlled. I think it’s a lack of knowledge about what your diet does to you. In Sweden we learn about this in school and when playing, the coaches told us what to eat. We went to Chiang Mai for the Leo Cup last week, even though it’s just a friendly game, we didn’t have any lunch – we flew at midday when we were supposed to eat lunch to prepare for a game at 6pm, so we had to take care of lunch ourselves and most people went to McDonald’s! Some of the foreign players don’t eat Thai food so they have to try & find something to eat – David (Rochela) always eats rice & eggs! He just mixes fried eggs & rice, it’s funny, it’s his way of dealing with Thai food.

What about the talent of Thai players? Is there a lot of potential here?

If they take care of themselves then they can be as good as Swedish players. Here in Thailand they need to get more chances to play – don’t pick players because of age hierarchy. That’s a big problem in Thailand, younger players don’t get the same chances as older players.

Who’s the best player you’ve played against, and with, in Thailand?

I think Theerasil, he’s quality. He’s a good target player, even though he’s not the biggest or strongest, he finds the spaces. And I’ve played with Sergio (Suarez) for 4 years now. From the beginning he impressed me and every day he still impresses me, he has really good technique and if he plays in the right position – creative central mid… Also Nitipong, he has something really good going on. He’s really serious and professional, he goes to the gym every day even when we don’t have training.

What were your first impressions of Port?

My first impression of Port was playing at PAT Stadium. That was amazing – in T2 the crowds are usually really small, you play in these shit stadiums, some of them don’t even have showers, then you come to PAT Stadium and you think wow, this is what Thai football is all about. Playing Port home & away I thought this is something else, it’s not like playing against teams like Ang Thong or Krabi. I got a really good impression so to be able to come here & play was perfect. The fans are amazing.

Port had an up & down season, with some amazing performances interspersed with some…not so good ones. Our defence conceded a lot of goals & penalties, why do you think this is? What are you doing to tighten things up for 2018?

I think it’s the lack of a base…if you feel like the game isn’t going your way, as a player you need to be able to fall back on a base, like a holding pattern, and if you don’t feel like you have that to fall back on when things are going badly then it can be really difficult. That’s what happened in some of the games where we performed really badly, like Thai Honda away (groans from all assembled). That night we didn’t do anything right, but we had nothing to fall back on. On the days when we’re playing well and everything’s working we can beat anyone. We also need to focus when we play smaller teams – you see some players going “sabai sabai”, and only getting fired up when we pay bigger teams. I think it’s natural, it happens everywhere, but it has something to do with professionalism.

Also last season, even when we were 2 goals up, we always found a way to concede a late goal. That comes back to what I said about having a base playing style. What is our philosophy? What is our style of football? We just need to learn to finish off games. The clinical aspect of our games has to be better. And sometimes you need to learn when to foul!

Was the Zico appointment a big disruption?

It was the wrong time to appoint him, because at that time we were performing well, we were in a very good position. Maybe we could have performed with Zico if he’d been appointed at the right time, but at that time we didn’t need a change. But nobody played well under Zico, the whole team played badly, Josimar scored once in, what, ten games…it’s not easy to win when you play shit.

Zico tried to make the team more professional and he could make decisions, because of his status. We could go and talk to him and he could change stuff. Big stuff. He made some changes in basic stuff, in the locker room and so on, because he brought a lot of staff with him – we had double staff when he was there. 20, 22 staff! Things like, after training he introduced boiled eggs & bananas, so people ate the right stuff, not eating shit – good protein & nutrition after training, and we’re still doing that now.

But sometimes he took things a little too easy with match preparation – he was like “I believe in you so much, it’ll be OK, the results will come”, but we didn’t analyse the opponents much which is important, as you need to be prepared in your mind and all pull in the same direction. That’s a good thing about Jadet, his assistant coach takes care of this, he’s really professional and we watch a lot of videos of other teams. And it seems to be working.

You were unlucky last season in that several times you had penalties given against you for fouls outside the area…

Yeah I was unlucky but also it was against bigger teams so it’s kind of natural…sometimes when you have your back to goal and you can’t see the line it’s difficult to decide whether you should make the foul. And in Thailand, with my size, it’s difficult to have the referee on my side actually – other players can do what they want with me, they can pull my shirt, tackle me, because it doesn’t look that bad. But when I do something, even if I make a good tackle it can look harder than it is. I think I play fair but it’s difficult because of the size difference. But the level of refereeing in Thailand is going up, some of them are OK.

What were your best & worst moments of 2017?

The best has to be the win against Muangthong, because it means a lot for the fans and for the players. It was a big win. (Tom mentions the post-game dressing room celebrations) Haha, that’s something I miss from Sweden, because there, after the game, if you win you make noise! Everyone can hear you. You do it from a young age, celebrate a win, but it doesn’t usually happen in Thailand. It’s like, the second best moment was the away win in Chiang Rai. That was the best smash & grab win I’ve ever been part of – we flew up & back in the same day so it really felt like a smash & grab! Go there, 90 minutes, go home. And in the dressing room after that game I really wanted to sing, to make some noise, but the Thai people said no, take it easy.

The worst has to be Thai Honda. It made us look so bad – they were one of the promoted teams, and they got relegated, and we go there and we lose 5-1. It was so bad. I watched some of the Weera clips…(laughter all round) It was bad timing as I was maybe getting called up to the national team, I was a reserve when they went to Australia, but after that game…

What about your future at Thai Port?

I feel really happy here, I’ve signed a long contract – I signed up for 1 year when I first came, then after 2 months they wanted to extend to 3 years which I did, so I’m under contract until the end of 2020. There’s good competition for my position with Todsapol, it’s a good environment to develop, so I have no fears I won’t be playing. In the end it’s up to me to perform on the pitch. I played many games in 2017 and I’m satisfied with my performance.

Port have streamlined the squad for 2018 with older players like Wuttichai, Ekkapoom and Pakasit moving on…

Yes I was really surprised to see that when I came back! I thought that would never happen. I feel really bad about Ekkapoom because he was supposed to play in the last game at Ratchaburi but I injured him in training! And I couldn’t go to his wedding after that as I was flying back to Sweden, so I feel really bad…

…and Tana?

Haha, we came back for training and nobody even knew where he was! Then one day he was stood there at training without his shirt, and told me he’d been away with the police doing training for 3 months. He has this police grade so he has to do some training sometimes. But he’s left Port for sure. He’s a really funny guy, doesn’t take things seriously at all, but he can shine sometimes when he wants to!

What are your personal ambitions for 2018?

Scoring goals would be fun! I scored one in the FA Cup. But the problem is every time we get a set-piece I always get the biggest defender on me, or sometimes two of them. But that creates opportunities for others. Otherwise, keep developing, I’m still quite young and still have time to develop and I want as much playing time as possible to perform in front of the fans, and together with the team get some results, as I really think we have a strong team.

As for the national team, they usually pick from teams that are performing well. Last year, whenever it was time for national team selection, and you look at the results we had, I can understand why noone from Port was picked. We could be really good, but we could be really really bad, and that made the players look bad. This season I hope there will be more of a spotlight on the team.

Are you surprised at the quality of players Mme Pang has brought in this time round? What are the club’s ambitions for the season?

Yeah, actually I am. Before it felt like we bought quantity not quality – we had 40 players, in training you had to stand in line! Now it’s under control and Madame has told us she wants a top 5 finish. Which would be good.

Big thanks to Elias for giving up his Saturday morning to talk to us, and to Joe & Rob at The Sportsman for their hospitality & cooperation. And don’t forget to listen to our podcast with Elias!

“The shark does not love. It feels no empathy. It trusts nothing. It lives in perfect harmony with its environment because it has no aspirations or desires. And no pity. A shark feels no sorrow, no remorse, hopes for nothing, dreams of nothing, has no illusions about itself or anything beyond itself.” (Rick Yancey)

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat. I mean van”. So we told Keith when upwards of 15 people signed up for the Sandpit’s Wednesday shark hunt to Chonburi. Eventually 12 of us – still a good turnout for a Wednesday evening game outside Bangkok – arrive at Pattana decked in the blue & orange, and board the buses for a short and fairly uneventful hop down the coast, which Strunk fails to enliven by playing Supertramp on his phone.

On arrival at the stadium, our first task is to get hold of tickets. Remarkably (actually, not remarkably at all – this is Thai football) despite the presence of only 30-odd Port fans, they’ve already run out of away tickets and we have to wait whilst someone runs off to fetch more. Who would’ve thought that Port fans might turn up to an away game AND have the temerity to actually go in and watch the game eh?

A warm welcome from the home fans. Muangthong, look and learn

Tickets duly purchased, beer & food are next on the agenda (for some of us – both Keith and myself are untypically on the wagon), and whilst the former is easy to locate, finding some decent nosh other than rather chewy battered quail eggs proves more difficult. But eventually we find a Muslim lady who is selling fried chicken of such extraordinary succulence it’s almost enough to make me grab the nearest Koran, work out the direction of Mecca, and drop to my knees shouting “ALLAHU AKBAR”. An early leader in the 2017 Sandpit T1 Football Ground Food Awards.

CFC – Chonburi Fried Chicken

Fed & watered, we make our way into the stadium to find that, for a club of Chonburi’s stature, it’s surprisingly shit – the usual Thai running track affair with decent stands on either side and the away fans shoved behind one of the goals, with the Hubble Telescope required to be able to get a decent view of the pitch. Note to the Thai FA – if clubs will persist in playing in stadiums not designed for football, make it a legal requirement that the away fans get an area on the side of the pitch rather than behind the goal, especially if you’re charging 200BHT a ticket.

Anyway rant over, and it’s time for kickoff…

The Match

With Rochela & Tana suspended, Anisong (15), aka John Denver (“Annie’s Song” – thanks Dom) and Genki (18) come into the team; otherwise it’s the same lineup who pulled out their truncheons and gave Police six of the best, trousers down on Sunday night.

Port, as is their habit these days, kick off at a furious pace and dominate the first 20 minutes or so, with Dolah (4), Suarez (5) and Genki all spurning good opportunities to take the lead. On 21 minutes the ball falls to Suarez – who otherwise had a bit of a stinker – on the halfway line, and seeing Chonburi’s keeper off his line, he attempts an outrageous lob which just clears the crossbar. Had it gone in, we would’ve handed out the Sandpit Goal of the Season award there & then.

Unfortunately Port can’t make their pressure tell and are punished on 23 minutes when John Denver clumsily challenges a Chonburi player in the area and concedes yet another Port penalty, though in his defence it was a challenge that had to be made. Up steps Chonburi’s SFS Renan Marques who buries the penalty to give the Sharks a somewhat undeserved – at this stage – lead.

The large Port following continue to sing, as we did throughout the entire game, regardless, and our loyalty is rewarded on the half hour mark when Genki beautifully chips the ball over a defender Gazza-style and then sidefoots the ball to Suarez, and just when you’re thinking it’s a bad pass, in comes Pakorn (9) to smash it into the Chonburi net, sparking ecstatic scenes in the away end.

Chonburi spend the remaining 15 minutes of the half laying siege to the Port goal but thanks to some solid defending from the increasingly impressive Dolah and the solid John Denver, the score remains 1-1 at half time.

The second half begins in comedy fashion with the first tumble of the night, as Mike Strunk (to be known henceforth as Mike’s Drunk) gets into an argument with a carelessly placed megaphone. The megaphone, not having spent the previous four hours knocking back cans of Leo, predictably wins, and the big American ends up sprawling over two rows of seats. One of my Sandpit colleagues will later top this by falling into a pond, but more on that later.

On 47 minutes Suarez sends Pakorn free down the right but as he so often does, the mercurial winger sends his shot into row Z, should such a thing exist in the Chonburi home end. From that point it becomes increasingly clear that Jadet, on his old stomping ground, has told his players that a draw will suffice, and Port sit back and do their best to soak up wave after wave of Shark attacks. Dolah and Adisorn (13) are on particularly fine and defiant form, throwing themselves into blocks and tackles with gusto, whilst keeper Worawut (36) even manages to catch a few crosses rather than punching them.

On the hour mark a notable event occurs, as John Denver leaves (not on a jet plane, but with Rochela’s suspension over, we don’t know when he’ll be back again. But we’re happy to tell him that, whilst we’ll smile at him, and wait for him, no way are we kissing him) to be replaced by young Niran Hansson (33), at last making his Port debut alongside fellow Thai-Swede Dolah in the heart of the Port defence. Niran puts in a good solid half hour and looks well at home, and certainly helps his cause.

The Khlongthoey Army out in force as usual

Despite their negative approach, on 78 minutes it looks briefly as if Port have snatched a possible winner. Pakorn crosses into the box, Josimar (30) nods it goalwards, and Genki turns it into the back of the net, only for the linesman – erroneously, as video will later show – to flag for either offside or a foul on the keeper. And 11 minutes later the inevitable happens as Port are punished for their lack of ambition. Chonburi swing a free kick into the box, Worawut comes out waving to his mother, as Big Ron once so memorably put it, a Chonburi boot sends it back goalwards and Pinkong manages to block it, but the ball loops into the air and unfortunately lands on the head of sexy MF Prince who bundles it into the Port net and then parties like it’s 1999.

Port have one more opportunity in the 93rd minute when Suarez find Josimar on the edge of the Chonburi area, but under pressure from a defender the big Brazilian’s shot flies over the bar, to the despair of the Port fans (and Josi’s army of tech-savvy fans in Brazil) and to the relief of the pitifully small home crowd.

2-1 it finishes then, and given Port’s lack of adventure in the second half, it’s probably no more than we deserved. Chonburi had clearly done their homework on Port and realised that, if you stifle the midfield engine room of Siwakorn, Adisorn and Suarez, you stop Port doing what they’ve done to so many top half teams this season. The midfield battle was often brutal and attritional but always compelling, and unfortunately Chonburi won it and thus the game, with Josimar starved of service.

But hey, you can’t win ’em all and Port will play worse than this and win before the season is over. With the team lying 7th in the table, and with 4 of our remaining 5 games before the break against teams in the bottom 6, things are still looking bright for Jadet’s men. Time to forget this defeat, move on, and take it out on Pattaya on Saturday. Dolphins are, after all, gentler creatures than sharks.

As for we Sandpitters, after the game we split into two groups, with the sober, mature, responsible members of the group taking the early bus home, where we discuss such varied and pertinent issues as midfield formations, the Thai education system and urban poverty in Khlong Thoey; whilst the alcoholic degenerates hang around the stadium consuming the Devil’s brew and, in my esteemed colleague Dominick Cartwright’s case, apparently falling into ponds. Unfortunately, as Arsene Wenger would put it, I did not see ze incident.

Man of the Match – Elias Dolah

MOTM performances were pretty thin on the ground tonight, with the usual contenders – Siwakorn, Suarez, Josi – well marshalled by an organised Chonburi side, and keeper Worawut having a Weera Duckworth moment for the second Chonburi goal.

But in the absence of David Rochela, young Dolah stepped up and put in another energetic, inspirational and defiant performance, showing just how he’s grown in stature and confidence since his nervy early performances for Port. If he continues playing like this, Port will have arguably the best centre-back pairing in T1 and future Rochela absences will not be quite as feared.

Photos by Tim & Linny Russell. Big thanks as ever to Keith Wright for organising the vans, and to the Chonburi fans, thin on the ground though they were, for a warm welcome.

Just days after The Sandpit suggested that Elias Dolah should be considered for selection by Thai national team coach Zico, the Thai-Swedish centre half has declared his intention to represent the War Elephants at international level.

Dolah started his career in Sweden, where he played for Lunds BK and then FC Rosengard. From there he made the switch to Thai Division 1, signing with Songkhla United where he played 23 times last season. Despite suffering an injury setback, the 6 foot 5 colossus impressed enough to attract the attentions of some of Thailand’s biggest clubs, including Buriram United and Bangkok Glass. Dolah was reportedly even offered trials by clubs in Japan, but the youngster chose Port FC, citing the atmosphere around the club and the fans as key factors in his decision.

Elias Dolah, 23

“I came to practice with the team, and they gave me a very warm welcome. My friend [Sergio Suarez] also recently moved to the club. We both work well together.”

“I was impressed by Port FC last season when we played at PAT Stadium. The fans were full of passion. If I compared them to a team in Sweden, it would be AIK. The atmosphere is similar.”

Turning his attention to his hopes for the future, Dolah said recently in an interview with Skånesport that he has set his sights on playing for the country of his father’s birth.

“Of course, the Thailand national team is the best team in Southeast Asia. They recently drew with Australia in their World Cup qualifier. I hope that I will get to that point, but I have to play in the top league first. And now I am here.”

So, what of Dolah’s chances? At 1.96 meters Dolah offers something unique to the national team: height. Thailand have struggled defensively with long balls and set pieces for as long as I’ve been watching them. Playing in the recent Suzuki Cup with other South East Asian nations this was rarely an issue, but in the World Cup Qualifiers when Thailand have faced more physical teams like Iraq and UAE, their weakness has been brutally exposed. Surely a player of Dolah’s stature would help the team in a way that current starting central defenders Adisorn Promrak and Prathum Chuthong, who both stand at 1.75 meters, just can’t.

The switch to 3 centre halves that Zico first trialled with great success in the draw against Australia also opens up room in the squad for another defender. Pravinwat Boonyong from Bangkok Glass came in to the recent Suzuki Cup squad, but was distinctly unimpressive the few times he played, meaning Zico is likely to be looking elsewhere when he picks his next squad in March.

If Dolah makes a good start to the season, striking up a strong partnership with captain David Rochela and getting on the end of Pakorn’s ever-threatening deliveries, then Zico would be well advised to take a very close look at Dolah. He took a risk on young, inexperienced but physically dominant Ubon forward Siroch Chatthong last year, and ended up unearthing a gem.

Port fans will be hoping first and foremost that Dolah’s performances for his new club merit this kind of recognition, as a strong central defensive pairing will be crucial in next season’s push for a top 10 finish.

Thai-Swedish centre-half Elias Dolah has reportedly signed with Port. The 6 foot 5 defender was born in Lund, Sweden to a Thai father and a Swedish mother, meaning he will be able to bring his experience of European football to Port without taking up one of the five foreign player slots.

Elias Dolah, 23

23 year old Dolah played 21 games for local third tier side Lunds BK before moving to FC Rosengard and then Songkhla United in the TPL. He made 23 appearances for Songkhla last season, scoring one goal.

Dolah looks to be a shrewd signing, bringing much-needed physical presence to a Port squad that was somewhat lacking in height and strength last term. His arrival will increase competition for places in the Port back-line, where Todsapol (6) formed a solid partnership with Rochela (22) last season. He could also add a goal threat from set-pieces, giving Pakorn (9) a target for his pinpoint crosses.

Podcast

In this fun quick-fire interview, Tom quizzes defender Elias Dolah on his Port teammates. Ever wondered who drives the fanciest car to training, who has “funny bones” and who Port’s most impressive new signing is? Elias gives us the inside scoop on all that and much more.

Thanks to Elias for being a good sport and answering all of our questions. We hope none of your teammates seek retribution on the training pitch! You can see Elias’ message to Port fans here, and the full interview will be published on The Sandpit tomorrow.

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